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/ In the past

How should one live this life? is a social gathering organized by Jaana Kokko. During this event there will be introductions of artistic strategies by Jaana Kokko and three invited guests: Mai Sööt & Eva Labotkin (Estonia) and Leena Pukki (Finland). The public is most welcome to perform or reflect on his or her own strategy. Food will be served.

In the words of Marko: "I am currently staying as an artist in residence at Ptarmigan. This is also my first stay in Tallinn. During this residency I aim to explore how poetry, sound art and technology can be intertwined and try to liberate myself from my own work routine. I strive to do this without any time pressure or precise goal. Like as if I had all the time in the world I want to read, write, compose, programme, listen to previously unknown music and explore Tallinn by regularly losing myself walking erratically through the city. This approach is similar to the growth process of a plant: it starts from a very small seed, cannot be rushed, has to be nurtured and needs its time, but when all the ingredients and the environment are right, it will grow and eventually blossom. If we'd rush its process of growing too much, it might very easily die.

During the Work(s) in progress event I will present the outcome of my period of residence.

I hope that this occasion might serve as a source of inspiration, exchange of ideas and cause for vivid discussions."

Sensors allow us to connect the physical world with the world of the machines. During this full-day workshop, participants will get to know the fundamental principles of interactive, sensor-based music systems that can be used for sound installations, live-performances and improvisation.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops and arduino boards, if available.

Marko Timlin is a Finnish sound artist, musician and composer. His musical career began in the early 1990s, in London, before his subsequent move to former East Berlin, where he became part of the alternative electronic music scene there. In Berlin, he worked together with groups such as "Laub", "rope" and the "17 Hippies", and founded the band "tritop", one of Germany’s first live drum 'n' bass-bands.

Today, he develops his own electronic and digital musical instruments which he plays regularly at concerts. In addition to his concert activities, he designs sound installations, composes computer, theater and dance music, and holds workshops and seminars in colleges and universities.

In recent years he has been teaching at the Music University Trossingen, DE, Sibelius Academy, FI, New York University, USA, and the Royal Conservatory “Victoria Eugenia” Granada, ES.

Pasta Modulare is the first modular synthesizer meet-up in Tallinn, for modular synthesizer enthusaists and hackers. At this event you can show off your projects, explore what others are doing, and meet others in the modular synth scene.

Kompass is a gathering of organisers, artists, urbanists and active cultural instigators, held in Tallinn, Estonia on 21-22 August 2014. Kompass is a joint initiative of Totaldobze Art Centre in Riga and Ptarmigan in Tallinn, and seeks to connect Latvian and Estonian minds to address issues of collaboration activities while developing public space and non-governmental culture.

The goal of Kompass is action and understanding. The event will feature presentations and a panel discussion from prominent actors in both Riga and Tallinn’s scenes, an un-conference in the “bar camp” format, and a series of instant workshops to address topics raised during the event.

Kompass is open for anyone to participate! We will build the event around our personal interactions and sharing our ideas, dreams and strategies. The outcome of Kompass will be future cooperation and collaboration, created by the exchanges which occur.

Opening Operations is a monthly series in 2014 that investigates the practical methods through which culture is produced.

Each month, a representative from a different Estonian culture organisation will present their activities as well as their operating budget and finances. The speaker will discuss a challenge or problem unique to their organisation, and the presentation will be followed by a group discussion. The goal is to share methodologies, open dialogues, and research creative alternatives to real-world problems involving money, labour, and collaboration. This project also seeks to democratise and demystify the act of "organising", proceeding from the belief that there is no right or wrong way to do things, and that different approaches breed more exciting and dynamic cultural forms.

This month's speaker is Anders Härm. Anders (born 1977) studied Art History and Theory at the Institute of Art History at the Estonian Academy of Arts (EAA) from 1995-2003. Since 2010 he is active as a program director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Estonia (EKKM). In the years 2002-2012 he worked as a curator at the Kunsthalle Tallinn. He recently (Oct. – Dec, 2013) curated “Estonian Dream. Festival of Contemporary Art” in Stavanger, Norway consisting of four separate exhibitions at different institutions, from film screening and extra events. His most recent curatorial projects include solo exhibitions by Mark Raidpere (2013 at the EKKM) and Kristina Norman (2010 at the Kunsthalle Tallinn). He has also curated group exhibitions and special projects like “Collection of Desires” (2012) and “Darkness, Dark” (2011) and “Next to Nothing”( 2010) at the EKKM as well as “Untold Stories” (2011) and “Blue Collar Blues” (2009/2010) at the Kunsthalle Tallinn. He curated Estonian National Pavilions of the Venice Biennale at the Architecture Exhibition in 2000 and at the Art Exhibition in 2003. He was one of the artistic directors (together with Priit Raud) of the biannual NU Performance Festival (2005-2011). He was establishing member of the board of EKKM (Museum of Contemporary Art Estonia) In 2009 he published collection of essays and other texts under the title “Diary of a Semiounat. Texts from1999-2008”. He has been lecturing at the Estonian Academy of Arts since the year 2000; since 2006 he curates there a program “Questions of Contemporary Art”. He has also staged three solo lecture-performances and worked as a dramaturge with some contemporary dance performances in Estonia.

Light snacks and refreshments will be served, and the discussion will be recorded and released afterwards online in podcast form.

Avatud Toimingud/Opening Operations is a project of Migrating Art Academies and is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Culture.

Longtime Ptarmigan friends Avarus, formed in Tampere (Finland) in 2001, finally visit our Tallinn side for a mini-festival of their expanded universe: Avarus themselves and their various side projects and off-shoots, all melting into electronic and acoustic weirdness.

If you are interested to shoot short films in Tallinn's Patarei Prison and experience an experimental version of collaborative cinematic improvisation event called Kino Kabaret, you should participate in the weekend Done Kino on 15 -17 August 2014.

Done Kino is the first Kino Kabaret cell in Estonia established in 2013. Unlike other Kino events, each year it tackles a different topic, although the same principle: to dig up forgotten and pushed out of the consciousness by ignorance, laziness, procrastination, or fear, issues, and in its holly awkwardness, expose and transform them into the starting point for much more exciting scenarios.

Its second edition takes place at Patarei which from 1840 served many functions in changeable historical times (sea-fortress, military barracks, Soviet and Estonian prison, dark tourism venue), reflecting the long and complex relationships between Estonia and Russia at different stages in their histories. Done Kino 2014 wants to add one more episode to this historical fate: collaboration between Estonian, Russian, and foreign filmmakers.

In order to participate all you have to do is:
1) Right now: check http://donekino.ptarmigan.ee/ to assure that it's all real.
2) Till 14 August 2014: register your participation in the form below. Don't forget to mention what is your preffered function, possible filmmaking equipment and availability.
3) On 15 August 14:00: come for the pitching meeting at Patarei where ideas for the film are presented and filming crews are created. BYOI (bring your own idea) or/and BYOD (bring your own device needed for shooting: camera, tripod, editing laptop, sound recorder, whatever). Wear not too fancy and rather warm clothes. If you are allergic to moist and fungus don't come or take your pills.
4) 15 August 15:00 – 17 August 15:00: shoot, edit, export short films. In Patarei and wherever. Participate. Collaborate.
5) 17 August 16:00: watch all short films created in the last 48 hours. The screening takes place in one of the Patarei halls.